I'm always skeptical of statistics, however, this should give a "ballpark" idea about health/disease risk factors. 

In fact, your major risk factor for death from a preventable disease is not the quality of your health care (about 10 percent of your risk), your social circumstances (about 15 percent) or even your genetic makeup (about 30 percent). Your single biggest risk is your own behavior (40 percent).

Source: Healthy Aging: A Cheat Sheet

If you ever needed a reason to exercise, take a moment to read this WSJ article.

A snippet from the article:

The CDC's surveys show that doctors have lagged behind federal recommendations to counsel osteoarthritis patients on the benefits of exercise and self-management programs. "The medical system has been focused on repairing patients and not getting them to manage themselves to avoid disability," says Charles Helmick, the scientific leader of the CDC's arthritis program. 

One of my favorite quotes: Exercise is better than any drug or anything else we have for aging. There's no downside. If this were a drug, it would be the safest, most effective drug in the universe. - Dr. James O. Hill

This rolling advertisement on this delivery truck says it all ... Bustin' Out with Flavor! No doubt, The Main Street Diet is very flavorful. To remove yourself from this type of food, you must identify equally tasty and flavorful foods that are healthy. 

Hard to believe, but it's not difficult. And, once you do if for 30 to 90 days, you will come to find that the junk foods taste terrible.

This tasty treat can be a meal or a snack. It's very flavorful and delicious.

Ingredients: One high fiber wrap, hummus, veggies (peppers, mushrooms, etc.) You can eat the veggies raw or cooked.

This is just one example, of many, that demonstrate a healthy snack/meal can be easy to make and inexpensive. 

That's the headline/question of this New York Times article. In a word, yes. 

A little sugar is not going to harm anyone. However, the quantity that most people consume (on average, 150 pounds per year) is much more than our bodies can handle. 

It's not just in cookies, candies, soda, and ice cream. Sugar is showing up in many unexpected places. For example, hamburger buns. Of course, it's in ketchup and salad dressing. Each contains about 25% sugar. 

If you would like to see how much sugar you consume by drinking one soda per day, take a peek. 

So, yes, sugar in large quantities is most definitely a toxic substance.

Mark Bittman, a writer for the New York Times, wrote an article titled How to Save a Trillion Dollars.

I can attest to his premise first-hand. No, I haven't saved a trillion dollars, but if you multiply it by the millions who don't follow Bittman's advice, you will easily hit the trillion mark.

What he is basically saying is ... get off The Main Street Diet. 

Way to go Huffington Post.  M&M = Mixed Message

Say what? Now read a review of that headline and article. This is one of the reasons that I am constantly telling people to ignore the research. You can read the review here.

According to Dr. Lidy Pelsser's study, 64 percent of children diagnosed with ADHD are actually experiencing a hypersensitivity to food. Once again, food choice is plays a major role in our lives. Read and listen to this NPR report about ADHD.

Once again, it's The Main Street Diet that causes most of the health issues in our lives.

This article (Medicine on the Move) in the New York Times will shed some light on the subject. Or for a very in-depth read, I suggest Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science.

I also recommend subscribing to Gary Schwitzer's blog: Health News Review.